It is commonly understood that fasteners and like devices are utilized in mechanically connecting or coupling structures, devices and components. For many of these connections or couplings, it is important to the strength and safety of the connection to apply the proper degree of torque. If the torque is insufficient, the resulting connection may loosen over time and eventually fail to serve its intended function. If the amount of torque is too great, the fastener may be stripped and/or the connecting structures or objects may be damaged, each of which can result in structural or functional compromise.
Advances have been made in torque wrenches such that the amount of torque that can be communicated through the wrench to the connecting structures or fasteners is limited. There are a myriad of variations on these typical torque wrenches. For instance, breakaway wrenches have gained in popularity in recent years as manufacturers find that operator error while using dial or indicator wrenches increase in repetitive situations as attention to details tends to fall by the wayside and user discretion becomes highly variable. A conventional breakaway wrench addresses some of these problems by limiting the level of torque that can be applied. However, these conventional breakaway wrenches come with innate drawbacks that generally result from their complicated and intricate designs. Specifically, breakaway torque wrenches generally utilize spring actuated methods of measuring torque, wherein these springs are kept in a loaded condition throughout the life of the tool. This condition or loaded state inevitably shortens the operational lifetime of the wrenches since the spring mechanisms are subjected to a progressive degeneration. Component replacement and/or recalibrations are required to accommodate for this degeneration. Further, the intended functionality of the wrench during this period of degeneration is flawed such that the wrench is operating outside of its designed parameters, often without the user having any knowledge of the degeneration.
As a result, there is a need for a torque wrench that substantially solves the problems innately present with conventional torque wrenches. There is a need to provide for a breakaway torque wrench that functions to provide predefined breakaway or disengagement functionality during operation while still maintaining functional and structural reliability without requiring periodic recalibration or tool replacement.